Game of skill



Patented Oct. 13, 1925.

.UNITED STATES JOHN R. HAUIPENTHAL, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGN'OR BERTRAM E. WILSON, ROGHESTER, NEW YORK.

1,557,160 PATENT OFFICE.

OF ONE-HALF To GAME or SKILL.

Application filed November 20, 1922. Serial No. 602,049.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN R. IIAUIEN' THAL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Games of Skill, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to a game of skill, and has for its object to afford means where by a number of players may simultaneously match their skill one against the other in playing a game, in conjunction with automatic indicating means which announces the winner, or player who first accomplishes the given object.

A more particular purposeof the invention is to afford a game of this general nature, in which each player manipulates a self-contained game device, such as a game board with a ball or other object adapted to be moved thereover until manipulated into a predetermined winning position, with an arrangement such that the game with which a player first successfully accomplishes the given object is announced through automatic indicating mechanism.

,Another object of the improvement is to provide structure adaptable both to parlor games between two or more persons, and also to games for pleasure parks to be played by a larger number, the number of players being limited only by the space required for accommodating the various game devices.

The invention also comprehends certain other improvements, all of which will ap pear clearly from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features being pointed out in the claims following the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation showing a preferred embodiment of the invention as adapted for pleasure park installation, the arrangement disclosed having provision for three players and illustrating the game de vices in locked position, prior to play;

" Figure 2 is a similar view showing the several game devices released for play;

Figure 3 a diagrammatic view of the electric circuit which controls the indicating means; i 1 t Figure at is a plan view of a game board,

one of which is provided lated by each player, and

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view of the game board shown in Figure 4. 1

The invention may be carriedout in a variety of ways, and the fundamental principle may be accomplished by, any seriesv of independent self-contained game devices, each of which may be controlled or manipulated by a player, and in the construction illustrated, which is intended merely as an example of various practical forms of the. invention, I utilize a game board comprising a bottom 1, side walls 2, and a transparent cover 3, while 4 are handles by which the game board is held by the player and manipulated.

The board is provided with a series of partitions 5 which may be arranged as shown in Figure 4 to provide a circuitous path as indicated by the arrows, and over which path the ball 6 t'avels in moving for and manipus from the starting compartment 7 to the finishing compartment 8. The particular path over which the ball 6 is caused to travel is arbitrarily selected for the present disolosure, and may, of course, be varied in a great number of ways. The primary object is for each player to manipulate his board so as to cause the ball to travel from the starting compartment 7 to the finishing compartment 8, and the player who first succoeds, in getting the ball of his board into the finishing compartment 8 is the winner.

It is desirable to give an automatic indication of the Winning player, and to accomplish this, each board or game device is coin nected electrically with an indicatingmeans in such a way that an automatic signal is given, showing which player is first successful in accomplishing the given object. To accomplish this, I employ, a ball 6 of conducting material, such as steel or other suitable metal, which functions to close a circuit upon reaching a-predeteru'iined position in the finishing compartment 8. This may be brought about in different ways, and I have found good results are obtained by providing a socket 9 in the finishing compare ment 8, and a pair of contacts 10 insaid socket 9, said contacts 10 forming part of an electric circuit which includes a conducfor 11 extending from the gan'ie board to a lamp -2 or other signalling means and t a battery 13. a

Cir

It will be understood that there are as many signalling devices 12 as there are game boards, that is, one signal for each self-cont ained game all controlled from the battery 13 and arranged in such a way that as soon as the ball in any one of the game devices reaches its finishing compartment, the corresponding signal is automatically operated. This is accomplished by reason of the fact that when the ball 6 drops into the socket 9, it makes an electrical connection between the two contacts 10, completing the individual circuit to the signal. 14 is a hand switch for opening or closing the electric indicating circuit to all of the game devices.

In playing the game, each player holds one of the game boards and all start at the same time with the respective balls 6 in the starting compartment 7, and endeavor as quickly as possible to work the balls around the circuitous paths into the finishing compartments 8. As a convenient means for getting the balls from the finishing compartment back to the starting compartment after the game is finished, and preparatory to playing a second game, a gate 15 is providecl which is spring-controlled and under such tension that the ball 6 can readily be passed through the gate 15 trom the finishing compartment to the starting compartment 7, by manipulating the board so as to throw the ball against the gate with slight force, although other ways of accomplislr ing this are possible and entirely Within the invention.

Where the apparatus is intended for use in a pleasure park, to be played by a series of players, each of whom pays a given amount for the privilege of playing the game, while the winner receives a prize, it is necessary to provide means for positively locking the several game boards and so as to insure a simultaneous start by all the players. This I accomplish by employing a support or stand 16 upon which the game devices 17 are supported when not in operation. Each board 17 has connected thereto a flexible member or cable 18 passing around a pulley 19, and connected to a common controlling flexible member or cable 520 which is governed by a lever 21. hen the lever 21 is thrown to the position shown in Figure 1, the cable 20 draws down the several cables 18 and holds the game boards 17 lightly on the support 16. \Vhen it is desired to commence playing the game, and all players are ready, the attendant throws the lever 21 to the position shown :11 Figure 2, thereby releasing the several flexible members 18 so that each player can lift his board sutficiently far above the table or stand 16 to permit his manipulating it and playing the game.

Other methods of locking the several game devices and simultaneously releasing hem may be devised, and the invention may be modified in other respects without departing from the underlying principle, and .It is the purpose of this application to cover any departures or changes coming within. the intended purpose of the improvement or the scope of the following claim or embodying a series of independent self-contained game devices, each adapted to be n'ianipulated by a player and combined with indicating means for automatically indicating the winning player.

I claim:

1. The combination with a plurality of independent selt-contained games, each game being entirely held within the players hands and manipulated to accomplish a given object, of indicating means connected with said game devices and acting automatically to indicate the game device in which the given object is first accomplished.

2. The combination with a plurality of in dependent self-contained games, each game being entirely held within the players hands and manipulated to accomplish a given object, of electrical indicating means connected with the game devices, each of said game devices including a movable circuit closing member which when the given object is accon iplished by the player, moves into circuit closing position and automatically operates the indicating means to show which game device has won.

'3. The combination with a plurality of game boards, each adapted to be manipulated by a player and including a movable circuit closing member which the player works into winning position by manipulating the board of electrical indicating means connected with the game boards and acting automatically to show which one of said circuit closing members first reaches winning position.

4. The combination with a plurality of game boards, each adapted to be manipulated by a player and including a circuitous path and a circuit closing member which the player works around said path into winning position by manipulating the board, of electrical indicating means connected with the game boards and acting automatically to show which one of said circuit closing members first reaches winning position.

5. The combination with a plurality of game board's, each adapted to be manipulated by a player and including a movable current conducting member which completes a. circuit when a player works it into winning position by manipulating the board, of electrical indicating means connected with the game boards and acting automatically to show which one of said members. first reaches winning position.

6. The combination with a )lurality of game-boards, each adapted to e manipulated by a player and including a circuitou's path and a current conducting ball which completes a circuit when a player works it around said circuitous path into Winning position by manipulating the board, of electrical indicating means connected with the game boards and acting automatically to show which one of said balls first reaches winning position.

7. The combination with a plurality of independent self-contained games, each adapted to be held and manipulated by a player to move a member into winning position, of indicating means connected with said game devices and acting automatically to show which member first reaches said po sition, a support on which said games are placed when not in play, and means for simultaneously locking or unlocking said games to or from the support.

8. The combination with a plurality of independent self-c0ntained games, each adapted to be held and manipulated by a player to move a member into winning position, of indicating means connected with said game devices and acting automatically to show which member first reaches said position, a support on which said games are placed when not in play, and a flexible member attached between each game and the support and permitting limited movement of the game with reference to the support. I

9. The combination with independent self-contained each adapted to be held and manipulated by a player to accomplish a given object, indicating means connected with said game devices and acting automatically to show which game device first accomplishes the given object, a support on which said game devices are placed when not in play, a flexible member attached between said game device and the support and permitting limited movement of the game device with reference to the support, and means for simultaneously tightening or releasing said flexible members with reference to the support.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

JOHN R. HAUPENTHAL.

a plurality of game devices, 

